Chapter Text
- Demon Hunter -
Maya grabbed her arm, pulling her away from the roof.
“Huh?!” Kurona gasped. “The HELL? What’s wrong with you, human?”
“ Shhh! ” Maya hissed, dragging her into the stairwell. “Listen, Kurona-chan, I need to get something into your head.”
“You need to stop interfering! Thanks to you, I’m going to fail the exam, and then I’ll have HELL to pay!”
“No. You need to learn to pull better pranks.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t you get it? You’re hurting people,” Maya said, almost yelling. “Shinobu-chan was in real danger! She could’ve died !”
“She’s a demon hunter! She can handle it!”
“That’s not the point , Kurona-chan! You can pass your stupid exam without killing my sister!”
“How?” Kurona asked. “They didn’t teach me this at demon school! I’m sorry, but—most demons just don’t care about you humans, okay?”
“Then, you’d better be different,” Maya said. She still hadn’t let go of Kurona’s arm. “Or else… I’ll get serious. And you won’t like me when I’m serious.”
“Okay, okay! I get it, all right?! Now let go of me!”
Maya didn’t. “Promise me,” she said instead. “Promise me you won’t try to hurt Ho-nii or Shinobu-chan again.”
“A-all right, I promise.”
“Good,” Maya said, relaxing visibly. Thankfully, she dropped Kurona’s arm, which was red with the impressions from Maya’s fingers. “Now… here’s the deal. I’ll help you pass your test, but you have to do what I say, okay?”
“You’re bold as HELL to think you know better than my teachers…” Kurona muttered.
“I’ve got an idea. It should work, as long as we don’t mess it up. So you have to be willing to work with me.”
“And why would you want to help me…?”
For a moment, Maya broke eye contact. “I… I feel bad,” she said. “I don’t really want you to fail. And I know there has to be a way to get you through the exam without killing one of us. It’s in both of our best interests, isn’t it?”
“I guess so…” Kurona said. “But I still think you’re weird as HELL.”
“That’s fine,” Maya said. “Everyone thinks that. Even Ho-nii, probably. But as long as we can all go home happy, I don’t really care.”
For a moment, Kurona was at a loss for words. Here was this girl—this human girl— daring to believe she could tell Kurona what to do. Daring to believe that her teachers could’ve been wrong. She must’ve known how much of an idiot she was being, right? How much of a… weirdo?
But… what if she wasn’t an idiot? What if she was right, and a demon could get along even with demon hunters like Maya and Shinobu?
Heh… what if, right?
…damn. Damn it. That look on Maya’s face… it almost made Kurona want to believe along with her. No—as much as it made her feel like the real idiot in the room, she did believe.
“All right,” Kurona said. “What’s your plan, Maya-chan?”
- ???-A: [$! Years Later -
“Good morning, Mytyl-sama,” Nori said, setting down a tray laden with breakfast. “Are you hungry?”
The girl smiled, looking up at her maid. Her fingers tapped away at a touch keyboard, and she flipped it around to show Nori.
Thank you, Nori. :D
“Of course. It’s my pleasure to serve you.” Nori took a folded handkerchief and spread it across Mytyl’s lap. “If there’s anything you need, you know how to call me.”
Yeah. But you don’t need to always be doting on me, you know.
“Nonsense. It’s my job.” Nori patted Mytyl’s head. “Now, eat up.”
All right. And, Nori, thank you again. <3
“It’s nothing. I’ll always be here for you if you need me.” Nori curtsied and left the room, leaving Mytyl to her food.
Nori walked to one of the dozens of intricate windows ornamenting the mansion. She could cook and clean until her hands were red and sore, but it wouldn’t bring Copen home safe. Day after day, he was off on some mission or other, and each time he would come back beaten and bruised, his armor needing to be patched up every time. Every time he left, she practically made herself sick with worry, but it wouldn’t change a thing. Nothing she did would save him, or make him happy. He reminded her of a younger version of his mother, but even Shinobu wasn’t so… dedicated with her recklessness. And even then, she hadn’t been Nori’s responsibility.
If only she had been… then, maybe I…
No. That wouldn’t have changed a thing. They still didn’t even know where she had gone; how would Nori have been able to save her?
There was no use dwelling on it. She had to accept that Shinobu was gone. She was gone, and only Copen and Mytyl were left for her to protect. Everyone else had accepted it; why couldn’t she?
And, worse yet—now that she was responsible for them, it would all be her fault if things went wrong. She wanted to believe that she had the power to protect them, but she’d failed to keep Mytyl safe once before. What would she do if it happened again?
What would she say to Maya if she let another member of the family die?
A few hours later, Copen finally returned to the mansion, and her worries were—for now—proven moot. His armor had long yellow strands stuck in it, which she had to help him pull out before he could take off his armor and allow her to treat his wounds, but he was alive . Injured, yes, but he would live to see another day.
That knowledge made Nori so, so happy.
It was only days after that that everything fell apart. Really, it was impressive how quickly her life collapsed.
They came at night, while she wasn’t ready. Ever since the first attack, she’d been trying to stay up as often as she could, just to be absolutely certain Eden wouldn’t come for Mytyl again. But she’d been lying to herself. All they needed was one moment of weakness, and Nori wasn’t going to last forever. She had plenty of power, but she was still mortal, and she still needed to rest.
And when that need finally overwhelmed her, all it took was a flash of green, and before she even knew it, everything was over.
No. No, no, no, no. NO!
“Copen!” she shouted, dialing his number as quickly as she could. She didn’t care if he was flying or fighting an Adept; Lola would pick up, and she needed him home.
Before the third ring, Copen’s voice rang out from the speaker. “Nori? What’s the matter?”
“Copen—” She took a deep breath, trying not to panic, or scream, or… anything. She needed to be calm, or at least to pretend to be. “We’ve got trouble. One of Eden’s Adepts broke in and took Mytyl!”
“ What?! ”
“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I should have seen this coming; I—”
“Apologize later,” Copen snapped. “Mytyl still has her transmitter, right?”
Nori’s fingers flew across her keyboard. There it was—a lone white ping on her laptop’s screen. She was still close; he could still save her!
“I’m sending you the data right now,” she said, desperately going through the motions to transmit the coordinates to Lola.
“Good. I’m on my way,” Copen said.
“Thank you, Copen,” Nori said, but he’d already hung up. Despite herself, she said it again, and again. Tears streamed down her face, a baffling mixture of despair and hope. She just had to hope that he’d be able to save her.
No. That wasn’t giving the boy enough credit. He could do it. He cared for Mytyl as much as she did, maybe even more. He would spare no expense to bring her home safely, and for once, she couldn’t have been happier that she’d raised a killer.
…So. She’d been wrong.
Technically, she’d gotten what she’d asked for. Copen had returned, and he’d brought Mytyl back alive… but, somehow, everything was still horribly wrong. She didn’t know what had happened; no matter how many times she asked, he refused to tell her. Mytyl wasn’t any better; in fact, it was like she wasn’t even the same girl who’d been taken from her. Her hair had changed from white to purple, and she didn’t remember anything—Nori, her Aunt Maya, even her own brother. And, more worryingly, she’d gotten her Septima back.
Every night, when Nori collapsed into her bed, it haunted her. Over and over again, she relived that moment, when this new Mytyl had looked her dead in the eyes for the first time and said, “Do I know you…?”
And she’d said it. Out loud.
Yet, somehow, that wasn’t the worst of it. No, the real worst part was Copen’s reaction.
In a chilling reversal, while Mytyl had regained her voice, Copen had become deadly quiet since his return from the Garden. When he did speak, his sentences were short, and his voice was strained, as if he were constantly trying to hold back a scream. He stayed in his room as much as possible, and he’d specifically only come down for meals once Mytyl was no longer at the table. Every time he looked at her, with that horrible look in his eyes, it was like a knife through Nori’s heart.
And then, he snapped.
It wasn’t the outburst of anger she’d been expecting. He didn’t fight. He didn’t scream. He didn’t say a word. He just… walked out, with only his machines to accompany him.
“Copen!” she shouted, stopping him before he had left the mansion’s grounds entirely. “Where are you going?!”
The boy turned. “I’m leaving,” he said simply.
“Just like this? Without even saying goodbye to your sister?”
“She’s not my sister,” he said. How was his voice so level? It wasn’t fair. “Or, rather, I am not her brother. I am only a demon bent on revenge.”
Nori couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “What are you—”
“I… can’t let her get involved in my battles ever again. From this point on… I have no family. I am only Copen.” He ran an armored hand through his hair, glaring at the ground. “So… tell Aunt Maya I died, or something.”
Nori blinked back a volley of tears. “Copen, I-I don’t—”
He turned away, like he couldn’t even listen to her anymore. “I’ll keep fighting,” he said, his voice raising, “until the day the last Adept falls.”
“Do you even know what that means?!” Nori yelled, unable to keep the tremors out of her voice. “Are you listening to yourself? There’s nothing left for you in this fight, Copen. I’ve had your back this whole time, but this—this is too much! Think about what you’re doing for once, Copen! I—I’m begging you!”
Copen didn’t answer.
“Copen! Listen to me, damn it! Copen!! ” She sobbed openly, but she didn’t even really notice. All she cared about was getting Copen to turn around, to just listen for once, but he wouldn’t do it .
He muttered something she didn’t hear, and then he was walking again. Lola called after him, trying to get his attention, but it was no use.
Nori was too stunned to chase after him. All she’d done for him, all she and Maya had done to give him a home, a family , and he’d just walked out ? Over something like this ? It was… surreal. It was impossible, surely.
And yet, these tears were real. This pain in her heart… it couldn’t be denied. It demanded everything from her, consuming the whole of her being.
So, after fourteen years, this was it. The end of the Kamizono family.
And who was to blame?
- ???-B: %8r Years Later -
Things were… not what they used to be.
Part of that came with the new territory, of course. It was only natural that life here would be different than it was back in Hell; she’d expected that, she’d accepted it, and she’d been ready for it. She had to be, if she was to have the future she wanted. But even in the human world alone, things had changed in the last few years.
Dr. Kamizono’s death had been the catalyst, the beginning of the end. She could hardly hide how much she’d disliked him and his experiments , but even so, it was hard to feel vindicated when his ways finally backfired on him. She remembered being glad that the nightmare he’d been creating would not come to fruition, but she couldn’t have imagined that the nightmare that took its place would somehow be even worse. Instead of learning from their mistakes, Sumeragi had doubled down on his work, turning him into a tragic victim and Adepts into a hazard, something to be neutralized. Because this society couldn’t function without someone to pin the blame on.
Perhaps Nori had been a fool to believe that that would be the last of it. Perhaps she should have realized that the Kamizono family would never be free from the consequences of the man who had once been a member of it, especially once that man’s son had started following in his footsteps. She loved Copen like he was her own child, but no matter how often she tried to dissuade him, it was like talking to a framed painting. The most he would do was pretend to listen, before he continued on his path towards destruction.
He was still just a boy, and yet, she worried that he would turn out worse than his father had ever been if he wasn’t stopped.
And, of course, there was the matter of Mytyl. Nori knew about her secret, of course; she’d been there for the operation that had taken her voice. But, ideally, it would have stayed a secret. She would’ve much preferred it if the clone had been the one to bear the burden of the Muse; it wasn’t a perfect solution, but at least it was one that kept the people Nori loved safe. That had been her thought process at the time, and it had been perfectly satisfactory for almost fourteen years.
Then, the clone had disappeared.
Sumeragi had done their best to keep it quiet, of course, but Nori wasn’t as simple-minded as the average citizen. There had been a suspicious gap in Lumen’s concerts, and her regular release schedule had abruptly halted, only producing remixes for the last few months. She hadn’t thought much of it when the ‘partial hiatus’ had been announced, but by this point, she couldn’t imagine any other possibility.
And yet, even still, she believed that nothing would go wrong. Sure, Sumeragi was now lacking their Muse, but that wasn’t for her to worry about. That was the best part about his choice to excise Mytyl’s Septima: even though it left her forever bedridden, it ensured that she was safe. No harm would ever come to her, because she was no longer of any use to Sumeragi. So, of course, Nori thought she was safe. There was no reason to imagine that she wouldn’t be safe.
That was the kicker. When the world suddenly ended, it wasn’t Sumeragi that knocked on the Kamizonos’ door.
It was another group entirely—and somehow, they were even more ruthless.
First things first. Get everyone to safety. At best, she could fight them off, and this would go down as just another failed break-in. At worst, she would be the only casualty.
“Copen!” she hissed, shaking the sleeping boy’s shoulders. “Copen, wake up!”
He started awake, sitting up in a flash. “Whuh? Who’s there?”
“We’re under attack,” she said, scrambling to pick up the pieces of his armor and deliver them to him. “Get ready and get out, as fast as you can. I’ll hold them off.”
“I’ll fight with you,” he said, clicking the pieces of his armor into place over his pajamas. “What are they after?”
“No, you won’t,” she said firmly, not bothering to answer the second question. “I told your mother I would protect you and Mytyl. I’m sure I can put an end to this, but if I don’t, I can’t let my failure be the reason you die.”
“Nori—”
“There’s no time to argue!” she snapped. “ Go , Copen Acura!”
He stiffened, going deadly still for a moment. Then, he muttered, “All right,” and donned the rest of his armor. “Give me a call once you’ve secured the premises.”
“You can count on it,” Nori said. Then she left the room, and went to awaken Mytyl.
Unfortunately, by the time she arrived, it was too late. Mytyl’s room had become a warzone. Uniformed agents had already secured the entrances, and she had to employ demonic powers she hadn’t used in years just to get inside.
“What is the meaning of this?!” she shouted at the soldiers.
The man in front—fully armed, so she couldn’t see his face—turned to her. “Orders from the boss,” he said simply. “Don’t stand in our way. We don’t want to have to use lethal force, but we will if necessary.”
“Get. Out. Of. My. House ,” Nori growled, her fists clenching.
“Lady, please,” he said, taking a step forward with his hands raised harmlessly. “You don’t want this to end in a fight, trust me. Are you even an Adept? I wouldn’t recommend—”
“I swore I would keep her safe,” Nori said, her voice crescendoing. “Like hell I’m going to just let you take her .” She extended her right arm to her side, and a gleaming black trident appeared, a terribly familiar weapon despite how long it’d been since she’d last used it.
The Adept soldier sighed. “Wrong choice, lady. I hate to do this to you, but I’ve gotta go. Bakura, take her out while I bring the girl to the boss.”
Another armored Adept stepped forward, covering for the first one as he handed Mytyl off to someone outside the window. Nori screamed and lunged forward with her trident, but it was no use. All the enemy had to do was raise his hand, and a concussive blast burst in front of her, blowing her backwards at speeds she had never felt before. She hit the back wall, hearing cracks from both the wall and her bones, and slumped down, too badly injured to even stand.
“Y-you… bastards…” she sputtered, coughing up blood.
“Given up yet?” the Adept—Bakura—sneered. “Or will I have to blast you again? And again? And again, and again, and again?”
Nori could only gasp in response, her hand going weakly to her shattered ribs.
Bakura tilted his head. “Tch. Still alive, huh? Looks like I’ll have to keep going after all.”
Nori raised her head to look her killer in the eyes—at least, where his eyes would be behind the visor. Perhaps the fact that she couldn’t see the man’s face was a sign of some sort. A reflection of her inability to see this end coming, and even worse, her inability to prevent it.
“That trick with the trident almost had me worried. What is that thing, anyway? It can’t be a Septima, since you’re not an Adept… tch, you make me sick.” He raised his hand again, and Nori felt her death before it came.
In her last moments, she saw the faces of all the people she’d failed this night.
Mytyl.
Copen.
Shinobu.
Maya.
Then the blasts came, one after another, shattering her body until even the molecules were split. There would be nothing of this house, or of her, left to find when Copen returned.
- ?????: n$2^1 Years Later -
How long had it been?
Hundreds of years?
Thousands?
A life that long would take its toll on any woman.
But a life that long, alone ? It was torture.
Stripping away everything that had once made up the demon Kurona.
She was a queen now. She had a corner of Hell all to herself. It would have made any woman cackle with delight.
But it was not delightful.
Was it because of how much she hated them? Or because there was no one left to hate?
Was there a difference, at this point?
Those times… so full of miserable memories.
Memories of defeat.
Memories of humiliation.
Memories of failure after failure. Destined to occur again and again.
Memories of her worst failure of all.
Those two.
Every day, Kurona looked at herself in the mirror.
Every day, she saw the same person.
A failure.
A failure.
A failure.
A failure.
A failure.
Every day, she looked at the futures she’d lost, the paths she hadn’t taken.
Every day, all she saw were more failures.
And yet, this was the worst future of them all, because she’d lived for this long and still hadn’t figured out how to make herself happy.
And yet, this was the best future of them all, because she’d lived long enough to acquire absolute power.
But what was power if it was never wielded?
To hell with this future.
She had the power to go back.
She had the power to change fate.
It was time to use it, and make them pay for what they’d done.
It was time to use it, and make them see her for who she was.
She would break them.
She would make an example of them.
She would…
- Mirror, Mirror -
Time was, in a sense, hers.
Who was ‘she?’
She was Kurona, a demon just trying to graduate without drowning in debt.
She was Nori, a maid dedicated to protecting those she loved.
She was the Queen, the fairest and most powerful demon of all.
She was someone who just wanted to be loved.
And who was it that she loved?
9M;inR@o4na905N*5naYOa8#krJ%a9
And what would she do to make that happen?
Anything.
Everything.
Nothing at all.
What… were all these voices? Why were they lying, and why were they all telling the truth?
They’re all… my voice.
Different parts of her, from different parts of spacetime, where different people had made infinite different choices.
None of them were her choice.
These futures… they didn’t make me happy.
I can do better, I think.
I sure as hell should be able to do better.
So, what was she going to do? Would she continue to let the future pass by without her?
No. I’m going to make her mine.